Jim PHL
Member
I've seen a few threads where people complained about S&W Customer Service. I thought I'd share my generally positive experience with the process though I don't know the end-result yet. I'm not a blind kool-aid drinker or "fan-boy" but I will state for the record I really like my Smith & Wessons. My only new models are this Shield (9mm by the way) and an M&P9c. Beyond that let's just say I have "more than one" of their revolvers and third gen autos.
*NOTE* I reserve the right to change my mind if it's not actually fixed! (I have not shot the repaired/returned pistol yet.)
Quick story on the issue: Bought a NIB Shield, had shot several hundred rounds never experiencing a failure and was carrying it...BUT My daughter had several fails to fire while she was shooting it. My guess was perhaps she was limp-wristing it since we were both shooting it and she had fails but I did not. (I should have known better. That was never an issue for her before.) Turns out this WAS just a coincidence because then I DID begin experiencing the same failures to fire of my own. At one range session I had a couple failures. I took it out of carry service right away. At my next range session I had WAY too many failures to fire. At least one in every magazine, usually multiple. My guess is a striker too short to reliably ignite the primers or a spring issue. Sometimes the unfired rounds would fire when tried a second or third time. Sometimes the primers were not even marked after the first mis-fire.
Here is the chronology of the repair:
Tuesday, 12/10/13: sent an e-mail to S&W explaining the issue. Received a reply same day just confirming receipt of the e-mail.
Thursday, 12/12/13: Received an e-mail from S&W with a form imbedded requesting more info. (Form requesting my personal info and re-stating of the issue.) I filled it out and sent it back the same day.
Monday, 12/16/13: Received an e-mail saying they reviewed the form and would be generating a return label for me to send it back to them at their expense.
Friday, 12/20/13: E-mail received with shipping label and instructions.
Monday, 12/23/13: I dropped the pistol off at the FedEx hub.
Saturday, 1/11/14: E-mail received saying the repaired pistol was shipped the day before, Friday 1/10/14, with tracking info.
Monday, 1/13/14: I used the link and tracking number to arrange a "Hold at FedEx facility for pick-up". (I knew neither my wife or I would be home to sign for it.) FedEx site reported it should be at the facility before end of day Tuesday, 1/14/14.
Tuesday, 1/14/14: checked FedEx . com and established the package was at the facility requested and picked it up later that day.
A couple notes.
1- I've seen many people post to "CALL, Don't e-mail" S&W to get a better response. This is only my experience but I don't have a problem with their handling of this or even the amount of time it took and I never picked up the phone.
2- I'd say the only way they could have improved the process was maybe some kind of updates along the way. (e-mails documenting package received; assigned to "___"; evaluation complete; repair complete; waiting for shipping, etc.) This is not a real issue for me. Perhaps it would be for someone who only has one firearm and it is there for repair but I was pretty much resigned to "it'll take as long as it takes". In this case "as long as it takes" turned out to be just about a month (12/10/13-1/14/14) from very first attempt to contact them to gun back in my hands. Considering the holidays and the workload they are obviously dealing with these days I think that's pretty good.
I am happy with the way they handled this beginning to (almost) end. Obviously as stated the true test of my satisfaction will be the range test to establish it is truly fixed! (Paperwork simply says they evaluated and then changed the striker and springs.) I have seen some 'bashing' of their customer service lately so I thought I'd chime in with my positive story. I will post again after I get to the range. I'm not usually one to document number of rounds, brands, weights, which mag fired, etc. but I will be more attentive to that for the first couple of times I fire it.
*NOTE* I reserve the right to change my mind if it's not actually fixed! (I have not shot the repaired/returned pistol yet.)
Quick story on the issue: Bought a NIB Shield, had shot several hundred rounds never experiencing a failure and was carrying it...BUT My daughter had several fails to fire while she was shooting it. My guess was perhaps she was limp-wristing it since we were both shooting it and she had fails but I did not. (I should have known better. That was never an issue for her before.) Turns out this WAS just a coincidence because then I DID begin experiencing the same failures to fire of my own. At one range session I had a couple failures. I took it out of carry service right away. At my next range session I had WAY too many failures to fire. At least one in every magazine, usually multiple. My guess is a striker too short to reliably ignite the primers or a spring issue. Sometimes the unfired rounds would fire when tried a second or third time. Sometimes the primers were not even marked after the first mis-fire.
Here is the chronology of the repair:
Tuesday, 12/10/13: sent an e-mail to S&W explaining the issue. Received a reply same day just confirming receipt of the e-mail.
Thursday, 12/12/13: Received an e-mail from S&W with a form imbedded requesting more info. (Form requesting my personal info and re-stating of the issue.) I filled it out and sent it back the same day.
Monday, 12/16/13: Received an e-mail saying they reviewed the form and would be generating a return label for me to send it back to them at their expense.
Friday, 12/20/13: E-mail received with shipping label and instructions.
Monday, 12/23/13: I dropped the pistol off at the FedEx hub.
Saturday, 1/11/14: E-mail received saying the repaired pistol was shipped the day before, Friday 1/10/14, with tracking info.
Monday, 1/13/14: I used the link and tracking number to arrange a "Hold at FedEx facility for pick-up". (I knew neither my wife or I would be home to sign for it.) FedEx site reported it should be at the facility before end of day Tuesday, 1/14/14.
Tuesday, 1/14/14: checked FedEx . com and established the package was at the facility requested and picked it up later that day.
A couple notes.
1- I've seen many people post to "CALL, Don't e-mail" S&W to get a better response. This is only my experience but I don't have a problem with their handling of this or even the amount of time it took and I never picked up the phone.
2- I'd say the only way they could have improved the process was maybe some kind of updates along the way. (e-mails documenting package received; assigned to "___"; evaluation complete; repair complete; waiting for shipping, etc.) This is not a real issue for me. Perhaps it would be for someone who only has one firearm and it is there for repair but I was pretty much resigned to "it'll take as long as it takes". In this case "as long as it takes" turned out to be just about a month (12/10/13-1/14/14) from very first attempt to contact them to gun back in my hands. Considering the holidays and the workload they are obviously dealing with these days I think that's pretty good.
I am happy with the way they handled this beginning to (almost) end. Obviously as stated the true test of my satisfaction will be the range test to establish it is truly fixed! (Paperwork simply says they evaluated and then changed the striker and springs.) I have seen some 'bashing' of their customer service lately so I thought I'd chime in with my positive story. I will post again after I get to the range. I'm not usually one to document number of rounds, brands, weights, which mag fired, etc. but I will be more attentive to that for the first couple of times I fire it.
